


Life is a battlefield

by EarlGrey24



Category: American Revolution RPF, Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alexander Hamilton/John Laurens Fluff, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, American History, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bisexual Alexander Hamilton, College, Dreams, Dreams vs. Reality, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gay John Laurens, Hamilton - Freeform, Hamilton Being Hamilton, Hamilton References, History References, Law School, M/M, Past Alexander Hamilton/Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler, Pseudo-History, University, angelica is an actual goddess, hamilton is a law student, peggy schuyler is so sarcastic yet so pure, unnecessary college au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-19
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-06 15:39:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13414365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EarlGrey24/pseuds/EarlGrey24
Summary: Surviving college was difficult enough for the brilliant, yet impulsive and often self-destructive  Alexander- but now he's also tormented every night by mysterious dreams in which he finds himself in the middle of a furious battle, accompanied by a fellow-soldier who, even thought he's unable to remember his name, seems oddly familiar to him...A mix of your typical college AU (with Alex being a mess, Peggy being a sassy, sarcastic millennial, Eliza being a sweetheart, Angelica being better than you™, Aaron being an even bigger mess, Laf being the cute foreign exchange student and Hercules being a bro, but with a heart of gold, Maria being an absolute cinnamon roll, but somewhat prone to making bad life decisions, poor James being anxious and sick most of them time and Thomas being, well, Thomas) and a historical finction with John Laurens being pure and sweet but also, like, really angsty.More at https://life-is-a-battlefield-blog.tumblr.com/





	1. One of Those Mornings

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter, featuring the absolute mess that is Alexander Hamilton (who also happens to be the physical embodiment of my writing style), always sarcastic yet always lovely Peggy and the witty perfectionist that is Angelica Schuyler. Oh, and of course, don't forget the mysterious freckle-faced aide-de-camp, whose name, I'm sure, you won't be able to guess...

_He was standing in an open field. The air felt incredibly heavy, almost suffocating, the temperature was sky-high. His vision was blurry. He could hear loud cries all around him, but he couldn’t make out the words. His temples were pulsating and his heart was beating faster than ever. He could feel a stinging pain in his side. He put his hand there, trying to find out what’s causing it, and when he drew his hand back to examine it, he realised, with horror, that it was covered in fresh blood. His blood. Was he shot? Stabbed? He doesn’t remember. It’s not like it matters, it will be over soon, very soon._

_The noises were getting louder and louder. The heat was unbearable. Suddenly, the whole world went black._

_And then a voice. A pleasant voice, filled with warmth, but also with worry. “Hamilton? Can you hear me? Are you alright?”_

_He opened his eyes. There was a young man standing above him, staring at him with those big, blue eyes. Who is it? How does he know my name? And why does he look so familiar? There’s no point in asking those questions. It doesn’t matter anyway, it will soon be over. He smiled._

_“My god, Hamilton! Look at you! We need to get you out of here, as soon as possible.” The stranger offered him his hand, to help him stand up. He squeezed it, tightly. And then everything collapsed, again._

***

A loud, distinctive knock on the door woke him up. It was followed by the unmistakable, annoyingly cheerful tone of voice, with a distinctive and all too familiar sarcastic undertone. Peggy Schuyler. “My God, Alex, where are you? You’re gonna be sooo late!”

“So are you,” was his muffled reply. Had he overslept again? Crap. That’s not good. That’s the third time this week. Peggy may be obnoxious, but she’s right. He’s got to get ready- quickly. There should be a comb in here… somewhere… actually, never mind. He had worse case of bed hair before, this actually looks passable.

“In my case, I think the professors are used to it by now,” replied Peggy, “they are happy that I show up at all. But you, young man, should get your ass out there. You know how old George’s like- he’s not exactly known for being the most chill professor on campus.

“Are you actually calling Mr. Washington ‘old George’?” laughed Hamilton, simultaneously trying to grab some clothes from his wardrobe- only to come to the bitter realisation that he has one last clean pair of jeans and an old, oversized hoodie with the university logo. He’s gonna look like absolute hell today, but hey, so are most of the other law students.

“So what? Look, I don’t have all day. Well, I do, actually, but you don’t. So, you know, hurry up.”

“Wait! I can’t find matching socks!”

“Jesus, Alex, you are completely useless in the morning, aren’t you?” she laughed. “Don’t worry, I grabbed you a cup of coffee on my way here.”

Margarita Schuyler. A saint. An actual life saver.

“Thanks Pegs. I owe you one.” Contact lenses? Where the hell… actually never mind that, it’s probably just glasses today. He could pretend it’s a fashion statement. He could definitely pull that off.

“Didn’t you say that last time?”

A white sock with black lining… a white sock with… dammit, that’s not the right one. How do other people manage to cope with things in the morning?

“I had that dream, again,” he declared, ignoring the last teasing remark.

“The one about the shark-tiger mutant chasing you through the streets of New York? Wow, Alex, that’s pretty wild.”

“No silly, the war one.”

He was finally able to get out of his room. As he opened the door of his dorm, Peggy immediately burst into laughter. Dammit, the Schuyler girls definitely knew how to damage one’s fragile ego.

“Oh come on, is it really that bad?”

“The sight of you is so heart-breaking it’s almost cute. I’d actually give you some many, but I only have this black espresso,” grinned she and handed him over the cup.

He sighed. It seemed Peggy would never stop teasing him- her jokes were almost borderline cruel sometimes- but despite that, Alexander considered her one of her best friends. Her sense of humour was surely very singular, and people who didn’t know her that well could easily mistake it for just plain rudeness, but Alex knew that the jokes were just her silly little way of coping with everyday problems, and that she actually had a heart of gold.

“I’m sorry, Alex. You know you could wear a potato sack, and still looked better than half of the people on campus.”

Wow, was that… a compliment? From Peggy Schuyler? What is this? It was such an unusual situation, that he had no idea how to respond. Fortunately, Peggy never stayed quiet for too long:

“You were saying something about a war dream? Have you been having nightmares again, Alex?” she sounded genuinely concerned.

“It’s not a nightmare per se, it’s just… intense. And confusing.” They’d left the dormitories, and were now walking through the park towards the main building. It was quite a long walk, given the fact that Alexander’s dorms were located in the very corner of the campus, but in the warm May weather, neither of them seemed to mind.

“Is it any specific war, do you think? Like, you know, second world war?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so. No, it’s older than that… I’m wearing a dark blue uniform, and I’m carrying a sort of dagger-like thing that is attached to my gun?”

“I believe bayonet is the word you’re looking for,” said a quiet but confident voice coming from somewhere behind him.

Alex turned around to determine the source of that voice and- of course- who else but the academic prodigy, Angelica Schuyler herself. Peggy’s older sister looked like she just walked out of a cover of a magazine, despite the fact that it was so early in the morning and she probably spend the whole night up studying. Alex did feel like a hot mess even before, but looking at Angelica’s neat Pinterest-like updo and well-ironed, spotless white blouse made him feel much, much worse. Angelica was never a show-off; she never rubbed her perfection into anyone’s face- that was just the way she was, and it was as natural for her as breathing. Despite that, she still drove a lot of people crazy, just by existing. Alex hated to admit hat, but he was probably one of them.

“Sush Angie, this is actually interesting,” protested Peggy. She was the only one who could say something like that to Angelica- for everyone else, she was untouchable, almost like a demi-goddess, a legend on the campus- but to Peggy, she was still just her know-it-all older sister.

“Is it the dream again?” “Yeah… I swear to god that must be the second of third time I’ve had this dream. I know it sounds stupid but… I feel like it’s somehow important?”

“Maybe it’s you relieving you past life. I heard that sometimes happens to people. So you were a soldier of some kind- isn’t that exciting?” exclaimed Peggy.

Angelica rolled her eyes. “I do have a copy of Freud’s _The Interpretation of Dreams_ , if you would be interested. I could lend it to you.”

“Thank you, I’ll think about it. But I’m probably just going to learn that my parents were shit… and you know, that won’t be wrong.”

Angelica laughed- something she didn’t do very often, but when she did, it was definitely worth hearing it. “It’s not all about that. Well, it’s mostly just untranslatable German puns, but still, it’s an interesting read.”

“We got it, you’re clever,” Peggy snapped. “I’m sure you could analyse Alex on the spot, you know, get to the roots of his psyche- but what I’m really interested in is whether he had seen that blue-eyed hunk again, so please, leave all that scientific nonsense out of this conversation.”

“Freud actually wasn’t scientific at all…” Peggy’s famous murderous stare was so efficient that it worked even on Angelica. This was one of the reasons Alex loved her so much.

“What blue-eyed hunk?” she asked instead.

“I don’t know his name. He appears to have the same dark blue uniform as me. He’s also about the same age as me, give or take two years. I wasn’t able to examine him too much- you know, being in the middle of a battlefield and all- but Peggy’s right, he does look quite handsome. Bright blue eyes, well-defined cheekbones, all that jazz. Also, I’m pretty sure he’s got freckles. Anyway- there’s too much heat- don’t laugh, I don’t mean it like that- and I always fall down. I think I faint. He wakes me up again. He calls me by my surname, he says it almost affectionately- he definitely knows me in the dream, even though I don’t. Then he gives me his hand, to help me stand up. That’s when I usually wake up.

“That’s fricking adorable!” exclaimed Peggy. “Like, I totally ship you, guys.”

“It does sounds quite romantic,” smiled Angelica.

“It could get even more romantic if you haven’t woken me up,” Hamilton looked at the younger Schuyler sister, accusingly.

“Come on, that’s not fair, I saved your ass. Look, you’re only…” she looked at her watch in a dramatic gesture, “… fifteen minutes late.”

Alex cried out some kind of unidentifiable French swear word, stuck the coffee back into the hands of startled Peggy and sprinted across the lawn towards the main building.

It was one of _those_ mornings.


	2. No John Trumbull

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two, in which Alex is late for class, discovers that he has a friend in someone who he never would have expected to be his friend and realizes that his dreams might be more significant than he thought...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You ever see a painting by John Trumbull?  
> Founding fathers in a line, looking all humble  
> (...)  
> What you 'bout to see is no John Trumbull
> 
> (Yes there's a cliffhanger but please don't hang me)

“Late again, Mr. Hamilton? If I’m not mistaken, that’s the third time this week. Have you ever heard of a little, but extremely useful invention called ‘alarm clock’? Perhaps that could help you with your poor time management skills?” Washington wasn’t a one to mince words.

“I’m really sorry, sir, I swear it won’t happen again.” apologised Alex meekly and sat himself quietly to one of the back rows. He tried to cover his face with a textbook, so no one could see how red it was. He knew Washington wasn’t really mad with him. Alex was always one of his favourite students, and it was safe to say Washington had a soft spot for him, perhaps because Hamilton reminded him so much of himself when he way younger, with his eagerness and passionate character. But even though it wasn't meant as an insult, that rebuke had still hurt Alex's pride. _Note to self: try not to oversleep next time._ It probably would have been the easiest if he hadn’t gone to sleep at all.

He usually engaged actively in the lessons- providing the often very complicated definitions, coming up with creative solutions to solve problems, asking endless questions. Most of the times, he had no problem to focus, no matter how difficult the subject was. But today, his mind kept wandering off, and he had a very difficult time paying attention to the matters discussed in the classroom. Whenever he closed his eyes, it was like he was back there again, back on the battlefield. He could hear those muffled voices screaming inside his head, he could smell the thick, heavy air that reeked of blood. He could swear that the pain in his side felt real.

“ _People v. Levi Weeks_ ,” a familiar voice suddenly whispered, just a few inches away from his ear. It brought him back to reality, but still, he was too confused to realise what’s going on, before it was too late.

“Thank you, Mr. Burr; I believe we have all heard that. That is, of course, the correct answer- but to what question, Mr. Hamilton?”

Alex’s face went from red to pale white. He suddenly felt the weight of the stares of everyone in the classroom- some looked concerned, some seemed to be amused by the whole situation- Alexander Hamilton, lost for words?

“It was…” _Come on, I know that… I did revise for that chapter… It was the night Hercules, Lafayette and I went to play bowling… Yeah, and Laf went on and on about this new girl he’s been dating… I love him, but swear to god, that night I just wanted to…_ “It was the first murder trial, I believe,” Alex finally seemed to have remembered.

Professor Washington gave Alex a long, questioning look, and then, to Hamilton’s immense relief, he slowly nodded. That was close!

***

“Alright, Alex, what is it? Are you depressed? Have you been diagnosed with some kind of terminal illness? _Are you in love_?” after the lesson, Aaron had been waiting for Hamilton outside the class. They exchanged class notes quite often, but they never talked much- and when they did, it was mostly about the lectures or upcoming exams. Alex never really saw Burr as a friend- he was more of an acquaintance for him, maybe even a rival, considering the fact that he was the only other student in class able to reach Alex’s level. That’s why he was so surprised to see that Aaron did probably care about him- he seemed genuinely concerned.

“No, it’s just… I haven’t gotten much sleep lately, that’s all,” he mumbled. That technically wasn’t true- he did get a quite solid seven hours of sleep- but when he woke up from his dream, he felt even more exhausted than when he went to bed. And he didn’t really feel like explaining his last night’s adventures to Aaron Burr anyway. Sometimes lying is just easier.

“You _do_ look tired. Listen, I know what it’s like to have insomnia, trust me. I know this guy who could get you some pills… I know it sounds sketchy, but they really work wonders, trust me.”

“I’m sure it’s nothing.  I’m gonna be fine. Thank you, though for… you know, trying to help.”

“No problem. You take care, Alex. Maybe try decaf for a few weeks?” suggested Aaron.

“Sure. Thanks again. See you later!” 

The truth was that at this point, he would probably die if he didn’t get his daily dose of caffeine into his veins, but he didn’t really want to argue with Aaron, especially since he had been so nice to him. Wow, that really wasn't his usual self at all.

***

After saying goodbye to Aaron, he decided that he should probably head back to his room and try to get some rest, but almost immediately after walking out of the main building, he heard a text message beep. Most of his texts were from either Lafayette or Peggy, who always wanted to inform him about the latest rumours. He was quite surprised to find out that this one was actually from Eliza.

Elisabeth Schuyler was the last one of the Schuyler sisters, but apart from sharing the same parents and of course, surname, she didn’t have much in common with either Peggy or Angelica. She was the calm and quiet one of three, who always put others before herself. People that didn’t really know her thought that she was kind of boring, but in fact, the opposite was true. Just like Angelica, she could speak for hours about topics that she was passionate about- like art, literature, or music- if she was given the chance. But she was also a good listener- anyone who spoke to her felt like she really cared about what they have to say- which sadly cannot be said about many people. 

Alex usually enjoyed her presence, he found it refreshing- and if he needed to confide in someone, it was usually her. Most of his other friends usually offered practical solutions to all of his life problems, like _“beat him up!_ ” (usually Herc), or _“you should probably start doing yoga or something”_ (Angelica, after he described the details of his latest argument with someone to her). Sometimes, all he really needed was compassion, and Eliza had plenty. But they haven’t hung out together in a long time, not since…

 _Beep, beep!_ Another message. Looks like she really needs something.

**Hey, Alex, I really need your help with my art project. If you aren’t doing anything today, come and swing by. It would really help me. -E**

**I have a new coffee machine, btw. Just saying. –E**

Alex laughed at the second message and immediately typed a reply:

**Dammit, you know me all too well. Be there in ten.**

He was actually relieved that she wrote to him first. He wasn’t sure if reaching out to her would be the best idea after all that happened between them, but he realised that he had really missed her. She was a good friend.

***

She opened her door wearing just a sweatpants and a hoodie, with her hair in a messy bun. It was a bit unusual for him not to see her in one of her fancy dresses, all made up, but he took it as a good sign. They were on the same level; he didn’t have to feel bad about his own just-got-out-of-bed outfit.

Eliza’s room was always lovely- unlike Alex’s, it was always neat and tidy, with her paintings and pictures of animals decorating the walls. There was a distinctive smell of vanilla lingering in the air, something he always associated with Eliza. It was probably one of those Yankee candles; she claimed that they helped her to focus on her art.

“So, what do you want me to do then?” said he, trying to sound as laid-back as possible.

“Oh, right,” she smiled. “I need you to help me pick some pictures for my portfolio. I must warn you- there are a lot of them. Like, a lot. But I need to choose the best ones, and I thought you had a pretty good eye for it.”

“Wow, I’m flattered, but are you sure I’m the best person for the job?”

Eliza shrugged. “The best person that wasn’t busy, I guess.”

“Alright,” he laughed, “I’ll take it.”

They both sat on the ground and Eliza spread all of her paintings and sketches across the floor, so he could take a good look at it all.

“You don’t have to overthink it, just pick anything that appeals to you.”

There was no doubt that Eliza was a talented artist. Her still life paintings looked almost like photos, her landscapes were equally as exceptional (she usually drew forests or beaches, and her pictures made the viewer want to immediately visit any place she draw, it just looked so beautiful), but what Alex appreciated the most were her portraits. They were just so life-like- and almost more than that, it was almost as if with just a few pencil lines or paint brushes, she somehow managed to capture the essence of the person being drawn. Alex begged her many times to draw him, but she always refused, saying that ‘she couldn’t be objective’ and that ‘he wouldn’t be able to sit still anyway’.

He was slowly looking through the pictures- it was really difficult to choose just a few, all of them were good, in his opinion- when he saw something that had almost made his heart stop.

“See something you like?” smiled Eliza, but she immediately become serious when she saw the look on Alex’s face.

“Alex, is everything okay? You look really pale.”

_No, it cannot be… it’s just a stupid coincidence- it must be- but still…_

“Alex?”

“It’s- it’s just this picture. He reminded me of someone, that’s all. How did you…?”

Eliza took said sketch into her hands, carefully, to examine it. There was nothing strange about it- in fact, it was one of her less successful portrait attempts, in her opinion. It pictured a young man- well, more like a boy, really- with curly hair, bright eyes, and millions of little freckles, spread all across his cheeks. He did look quite handsome, but not in a way that would make someone almost faint- which seemed to be about to happen to Alex.

“Why, do you recognize him?”

“Yes. No. I don’t know. It’s just… Was it just your imagination? Or is it based on some photo of someone?”

“I don’t remember, to be honest. It could be just a photo from the internet… sometimes I just think that a certain person would be interesting to draw, you know. I’m really sorry I can’t help you. Do you want a glass of water or something?”

Alex just nodded. He still looked like he had just seen a ghost.

Eliza came back and pressed the glass into Alex’s hand.

“Drink it; it will make you feel better,” she urged him, “And then you have to tell me what the hell just happened.”

“Alright,” he started, after he had taken a long sip, slowly gaining back his self-control, “I presume you know about the dreams I’ve been having, even though I haven’t told _you directly_.”

“Peggy told me everything,” she confessed. “But don’t worry; I didn’t pass it on or anything.”

“That’s okay, if I wanted to keep a secret, I wouldn’t have told it to your sister. Now- you know that there is the same reappearing character in every one of them?”

“Oh yeah, Peggy calls him ‘the hot soldier boy-‘“Eliza’s eyes widened with surprise as she realised where this was going- “oh no. Is it really?”

“Yeah. It’s uncanny.”

“Alright, this is really creepy. It’s like the beginning of Buzzfeed Unsolved or something. Listen, I understand if you don’t want to finish looking at the pictures. Why don’t you just… I don’t know, take this one with you, and I’ll try my best to figure out where I have gotten the inspiration from, okay?”

“Okay. Thanks Betsy. I’m sorry, it’s just…” he rubbed his forehead, “it’s just a lot, you know.”

“I know, Alex. You'll be fine. Just take a break.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a shorter one, with a slower start, there's deifnitely going to be more drama in the next chapter. So stay tuned for more of Peggy's sass (I've already have that part written, but I thought it would better fit into the next one), more of your favourite characters being introduced, and of course- more lams!


	3. Bedridden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter three, in which Alex finds himself in a dream again- this time, maybe less unpleasant- and later has his dorm room occupied by Peggy.

_Alex opened his eyes, only to realise that he doesn’t recognize his surroundings at all. He was lying in bed, but it was much less comfortable than his own. It was still too dark to see everything clearly, but even the little that he saw was enough for him to confirm that he’s definitely not in his dorm room. And worse, the stinging pain in his side came back to him again. Alright, Alex, you have to focus, you have to think._

_Where could he be? He was definitely inside something, but it was too confined to be a building, it seemed more like… a tent. How did he get there? He remembered that after visiting Eliza, he went straight back to his room. He was exhausted. He must have fallen asleep again…_

_Coming from somewhere in front of him, he heard footsteps and quiet whispers, followed by a rustling of some sort of fabric. Then, like a sudden flash, appeared a light source. It wasn’t too bright- maybe a small flashlight, but the unmistakable scent of wax soon made him realise it was most likely a candle. The person carrying the candle was getting closer and closer now- and in a few moments, Alex was able to see their angular face, dimly illuminated by the candle-light. It was him, again._

_“Hamilton, are you awake?” the stranger whispered, softly._

_“No, I’m not. In fact, I’m pretty positive that I’m asleep,” mumbled Alex._

_“Oh no, you must be feverish. That’s what I was afraid of. You’re not making any sense, lieutenant colonel.”_

_“Okay, what the-“_

_“Ssh, you must rest. I know you’ve been shot- you claimed it was merely a scratch, but now I know you were just too proud to admit the real amount of damage it caused you.  No- don’t say anything, don’t argue with me- I saw how pale you were, how weak. We did our best to prevent the wound from getting infected-but I’m afraid we haven’t done enough. Just get some rest, Hamilton, for now, that’s all you need to worry about.”_

_He lifted up his blanket, only to see that his entire left side was covered in bandages that were already almost completely soaked with blood. Shit, that’s not good._

_The other man probably must have caught the horrified look on Alex’s face, because he squeezed his hand tightly to console him, paying no attention to the fact that his hand was still smeared with blood. At first, it made him feel a little uncomfortable- the man was a stranger to him, after all, but his hands were so soft and warm, the touch so reassuring, that he quickly forgot about the awkwardness of the whole situation. Alex could swear that the temperature in the tent started rising._

_Their little moment was interrupted by an authoritative, almost unpleasant voice, coming from the outside. “Colonel Laurens? The general is waiting for your report.”_

_“Be right there, sir,” he answered. He had to let go of Alex’s hand, but before they parted, he leaned closer to him and whispered: “Don’t worry. You’re going to be alright.”_

_And it was in that moment when, just for a little while, everything in the world seemed to make perfect sense._

***

But every dream eventually comes to an end, and Alex had to wake up to face yet another morning. Surprisingly, he managed to get up on time today, and he even felt quite well-rested. Nonetheless, his mind was still buzzing with snippets of his last night’s dream.  He didn’t remember all the details, it wasn’t as clear as some of his previous dreams, but he seemed to recall a kind of warmth, that wasn’t there before.

He managed to get through all of his classes without any major difficulties- he even answered some difficult questions, and when he was leaving the lecture, professor Washington even smiled at him with approval.  

When he got back to his dorm room, he was surprised to find Peggy standing in front of his door.

She seemed genuinely happy to see him. “Oh thank god, Alex, I thought you’re never going to show up!” 

“What’s going on?”

“I just wanted to check on you, you know, see if everything’s alright. You know, if you don’t have any more war injuries,” she teased him.

“Alright, come in,” he urged her. They both entered the pile of mess, under which, somewhere, was supposed to be Alex’s dorm room. He quickly pushed away his clothes and textbooks from the armchair, so Peggy had somewhere to sit. He himself sat on the bed, which was possibly the only place in his room that still hasn’t become a storage area.

“Sorry, it’s a little messy,” he apologised.

“A little? Alex, it literally looks like there has been an explosion. But then again, I think that’s true for most of boy’s dorm rooms.”

“Haha, very funny, Pegs. Why are you really here?”

 “I wanted to know if you’re going to George’s party tonight.”

George Hanover was your typical obnoxious, spoiled rich kid, who never seemed to have grown up. He was known for three things- for his characteristically posh British accent, for having a string of failed relationships, one of which was even rumoured to end up with a restraining order, and for throwing the most amazing parties on campus.

“I need you to come with me, Alex; otherwise I’m literally going to die of boredom. Since Lafayette is hanging out with Adri all the time I now don’t have anyone to gossip with and rate other people’s outfits.”

“Oh poor you,” he laughed, “alright, I was planning on going anyway.”

 “Okay, so, we’ve got approximately…” she looked at her watch with the same quirky dramatic gesture  she did this morning,  “forty minutes to make you look like a human being. I brought my makeup bag with me as well…”

“No. No way, _Margarita_.”

“Oh come on… just your under eyes! You should really do something about that dark circles, you know, it would really make your eyes pop. And maybe a bit of foundation… and a highlighter, to make you cheekbones even more prominent…”

“Jesus, don’t you want to sign me up for RuPaul’s Drag Race, while you’re at it?”

“What’s wrong with that? It is a good show. I’ve binge-watched the last season in, like, a day. And I’ve always thought you would make a really pretty drag queen.”

“I appreciate your... compliment? But I think I’ll pass this time, thank you.”

“Whatever, that’s your loss,” grined she. “Let’s talk outfits then?”

Hamilton had to admit that, Peggy have always had a great fashion sense. Her style was simple, yet still effective, and had earned her a loyal following on her Pinterest page. Her party outfit for today consisted of skinny black jeans with an amber-coloured top, with a silver sunflower pendant as an accessory, and a matching sunflower headband in her dark brown, wavy hair. She was never tall, but today, with her favourite platform heels on, she was almost taller than Alex (which, admittedly, wasn’t particularly difficult).

“Alright. Feel free to pick anything from-” he vaguely pointed his hand at the pile of clothes in the middle of the room, “-anywhere, really. If you could find something clean.”

“Jesus, Alex, if I can’t sign you up for RuPaul’s Drag Race, I swear to god I will sign you up for _Hoarders_.”

After approximately ten minutes of frantically searching through Hamilton’s mess, Peggy managed to find one decent-looking navy blue sweater and some black trousers.

“This will have to do. And have you ever heard of comb? You should use that, maybe. Although I have to admit, if this is what your hair looks like on bad hair day, I’m jealous.”

“Okay, okay-“Alex disappeared into bathroom to get changed. “By the way, do you know who’s gonna be at the party? Anyone interesting?”

“Um, let me thing. Well, Angelica did say she’ll drop by, but you know how it is with her, she’s like Cinderella, always disappears before midnight. Sam, George’s new boyfriend will probably be there, trying to keep an eye on him, you now. Oh, and I heard James is coming!”

“Which James?”

“Jeez,” Peggy laughed, “well of course not James _Madison_ , he barely leaves his room in winter, he’s like, non-stop ill these days. No, I meant Reynolds.”

Alex audibly gasped.

“What’s the matter?”

“Peggy, you now I hate that guy.”

“Oh come on, you hate almost everyone. If you couldn’t go to a party just because someone you don’t like or someone who doesn’t like you is going to be there, well then, you couldn’t go to pretty much any party.”

“Fair point. Still hate him, that guy has no manners. I wouldn’t be surprised if what they say it’s true.”

“It’s just rumours, Alex, don’t believe everything you hear. Now come on, let’s go and have some fun, shall we?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter chapter, featuring more pop-cultural references, more Peggy™ and finally a little more lams? 
> 
> It's more like a build up to 'Winter's Ball' (not sure if I'm going to keep the name, but I'm tempted to do so :D), in which the proper drama's going to start. Hope you enjoy, I'm halfway throught the next one, so I'll try to post again as soon as I can ^^
> 
> PS: I'm really glad for all Kudos and comments and overall your overwhelming support <3  
> PS2: For unnecessary character aesthetics, visit https://life-is-a-battlefield-blog.tumblr.com/


	4. Maria's Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex decides to attend a college party. What started out as a pleasant evening quickly turns into a mess, when one of the people he despises the most enters the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not sure how exactly AO3 works, but minor trigger warning, I guess? A possibly tense scene and a bit of strong language (nothing horrible, I promise)

When Alex and Peggy arrived, the party was already in full swing. The screaming and loud music could be heard from miles away. Lots of people were standing outside,laughing, chatting, gossiping- some of the more unfortunate souls were just sort of half-sitting, half-lying on the grass in the front yard, unable to stand up again.

They entered the house and immediately headed for the living room. It was sort of an unwritten rule that in the living room was the heart of the party- the most exciting things (or ‘drama’, as would Peggy call it) usually happened there and also it was conveniently close to the kitchen, so people who stayed in the living room didn’t have to push their way through several rooms just to get a prawn cocktail.

 It really wasn’t easy to avoid all the drunk freshmen in the hall getting in their way, but they managed to do so quite gracefully. The living room was already in a state of chaos, but there was still some evidence that it will probably look quite exquisite once all the mess is cleaned- there were red velvet sofas, mahogany coffee tables, oil paintings on the walls most art museums would probably be proud to display- and most impressive of all- a massive crystal chandelier that would probably look even more representative if someone hadn’t already managed to wrap toilet paper around it.

“Say what you want about George, but you have to admit, that kid has a style,” remarked Alex.

“More like loads of cash,” snarled Peggy.

Some generic pop-song about life in California just started playing, which caused some people in the room to yell “whooo!” and start dancing to its rhythm. It was a rather difficult task, given the fact that the song hardly had any.  Alex looked around, but he quickly came to the bitter conclusion that he is unable to recognize most of the party attendants- and even the ones he could recognize were usually the type of person that attended the first lecture and then mysteriously disappeared for the rest of the year. That’s why he was so relieved when he finally saw a familiar face- one of his good friends, Lafayette, was just making his way through the room, holding a can of beer.

Technically, Lafayette was his surname, but everyone just called him that- partly because it had a nice ring to it, partly because people were afraid they would butcher his first name, as most of them weren’t really familiar with French. He and Alex became close friends almost immediately after he arrived at the campus of Yorktown University. Alex was glad he had found someone he could practice his French with and Lafayette was happy to talk to anyone who knew a little more about France than that there’s Eiffel tower and everyone eats lots of baguettes.

“Bud light, Laf? You seriously drink that stuff?” Peggy laughed.

Lafayette shrugged. “I’m just trying to blend in. Plus, it’s not like _Cabernet Sauvignon_ ’s going to be served here.”

“Absolutely, my dear friend! And what a dreadful cheese selection!” exclaimed Alex in his most exaggerated French accent. It may have seemed a bit offensive to a bystander, but it was their old inside joke, and Lafayette was perfectly used to it by this point- in return, he get to made fun of American food and college football obsession.

“Alright, alright, Alex.  But really- it’s good to see you again. I was afraid you won’t turn up today.”

“Really? Why’s that?”

“Oh, just heard some rumours, you know. That you were a bit…, what’s the expression? Oh, _out of your mind_. But I mean- who wouldn’t go a bit… you know… with all these essay deadlines and exams coming up…”

Alex turned around swiftly. “ _Margarita Schuyler_ , is there someone you haven’t…” but Peggy was already gone- she realised she would soon be in trouble so she preventively disappeared in the crowd before Alex could confront her.

“Don’t worry about it, _mon ami_ , there are much worse rumours that could be circulating about someone than that they’re a bit… _overworked_.”

Suddenly, it was as if the room went a little more silent- it wasn't a complete silence, because the music was still playing, but most of the chatting and laughing noticeably stopped as the _persona non grata_ entered the room.

“Case in point,” smirked Lafayette.

Lot of the people now seemed to be in a rush to leave the room, not wanting to get into any trouble. Lafayette was about to do the same, but Alex stopped him. “You know what they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”

“You English people sure have some weird proverbs,” Lafayette rolled his eyes, but decided to stick with Hamilton.

Everyone in the immediate presence of the newly arrived young man seemed to have taken a step back, creating a circle of empty space around him, as if they didn’t want to have anything to do with him. He was now leaning against the wall, desperately trying to keep his balance.

“He seems drunk,” concluded Lafayette.

“You think so?” Alex couldn’t resist making a sarcastic remark.  

Someone turned off the music and the room was now uncomfortably quiet. _I heard he’s a nutcase,_ someone in the crowd whispered. _No, it’s definitely her, what she did would make anyone mad,_ argued another voice.

The young man in everyone’s attention took one shaky step back. Even in his intoxicated state, there was still something about him that made him look truly dangerous- possibly the piercing stare of his deep brown eyes, or his expression that indicated that he loathes every single person in the room.

“Maria, where the hell are you?” he yelled. He surprisingly didn’t stutter or stumble upon his words- he formulated each word very carefully, to make sure everyone in the room understand him.

The whispering in the room became more intensive. The atmosphere couldn’t possibly be tenser. Alex slowly started regretting his decision to stay in the centre of all the drama.

“I’m right here, James,” said a pretty girl in a red dress that suddenly emerged out of the anonymous crowd. She couldn’t be as drunk as him, but she was shaking and her voice was trembling, so it almost seemed as if she was. Still, she had to have a lot of courage, as stepping towards him now basically equalled going into the lion’s den.

“I can’t believe you did that to me you dirty skank! I told you, I told you what will happen to you if you ever try to cross me!” Now the tone of his voice was slowly entering the cliché movie psychopath territory.

Hamilton could feel his fists clenching- it was almost like reflex to him, something he couldn’t quite control. Meanwhile, Lafayette was just completely startled, and he seemed unable to move. The whole situation felt so surreal that no one was able to comprehend that this is real, that this is _really_ happening. This is something that happens in dramas and soap operas, not in real life.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She sounded really defensive, but one could still hear the fear in her voice.

“You don’t know what I am talking about, hah? Then how would you explain the letter, you stupid bitch?” he was getting closer and closer to her. This is not good.

“I don’t know about any letter,” she shrieked.

He kept moving towards her. Something about his movement reminded Alex of the way a lion would approach a gazelle just before the slaughter. It’s now or never.

Suddenly, an authoritative voice interrupted his train of thoughts. “Alright, that’s enough. Leave her alone or I swear I’m going to call the police on you.” Angelica, in her little black dress, suddenly emerging behind James Reynolds, holding something tightly in her hand.  

“You think that scares me?” James turned around and snarled. “Stay away from this you little-“

A click. A spraying sound. A loud cry. Silence.

Every single pair of eyes was now starring at Angelica- most of them in admiration. Well, every single pair of eyes except one, that wouldn’t be able to stare at anything for quite some time now. She herself, however, seemed to be in disbelief.

“I didn’t mean to really use that, it’s just… I panicked and…” she turned and quickly left, leaving everyone surprised.

***

It was the first time in weeks Alex wasn’t thinking about his dreams- too much was happening now, his mind was buzzing, one thought racing against each other.

First thought: Angelica. No doubt that what she did was brave. But Alex was one of the people that know her well enough that she wasn’t always as confident as she seemed. She never wanted to resort to violence- not her, who believed every conflict could be resolved in a calm and peaceful manner. She panicked, she did something irrational, she couldn’t control herself in that moment- and that’s what scares her. Not James Reynolds, not the consequences of her action, but the loss of control. Alex wanted to go and tell her that he thought what she did was incredible- but that wouldn’t help. He would probably just make things worse, she needs some time alone.

Second thought: There is absolutely no doubt now that the rumours were true. James Reynolds is capable of everything, and if he seemed like an abusive type even before this incident, now it is crystal clear what kind of a person he is. 

This leads to a third thought: Girl in a red dress. Maria. Alex wasn’t even able to imagine how could she possibly feel now- humiliated and threatened by her boyfriend, in front of everyone. He looked at her. She was still standing her, perfectly still. She didn’t look angry or surprised or scared- just sort of melancholic, like a martyr on a medieval painting.

There were no other girls around her trying to comfort her- she didn’t seem to have many friends, probably because of her boyfriend. He seemed to be that kind of person that would be jealous even of her friends. Alex decided that nothing could go wrong if he tries to approach her.

 “Are you okay?” he asked her and immediately felt stupid. Of course she wasn’t okay, but it was too late to take it back now. He just knew Lafayette, whom he left somewhere behind him, just did a facepalm.

“I’ve been better,” she smiled bitterly and quickly wiped the tears of her eyes.

“Of course, I know. Sorry. I’m Alex, by the way.”

“Maria. In case you didn’t hear my boyfriend screaming my name across the whole room.”

Alex couldn’t help but chuckle. It was a good sign that she could joke about it but still, she must be devastated.

“Listen, you seem really nice Alex, but I should probably head back home. I think I’ve had enough for today.”

“I understand.”

“That being said, you could do me a favor. I feel a little silly asking that, but… Ah, it’s stupid, but I fear that James could recover soon, and he’s quite quick and… Ah, basically, would you mind walking me to my dorm room? I know it sounds weird, because we’ve just met, but I don’t really know anyone in here and I feel like I can trust you.”

There’s the problem right here, he thought. She’s too naïve, too trusting- someone like James could easily use that against her. The mere thought of it made Alex feel disgusted. But she’s right- it’s too dangerous for her to walk alone now. He decided that now’s not a good time to lecture her about not trusting strangers- first it is obnoxious, and second, it would have just sounded creepy.

“Sure, I’d be happy to.”

They walked through the campus together. It was already dark, and the streetlamps lit only the area in their immediate range, so most of the way Alex couldn’t see one step ahead of him. No wonder Maria didn’t want to walk there alone.

Their spend most of the time in awkward silence- Alex didn’t really want to bring up the fight between her and James, but it was still too much on his mind, so he couldn’t figure out what else to talk about.

“Was that girl your friend?” she was the first one to break the silence. “The one with the pepper spray.”

“You mean Angelica? You could say that. It’s more like we have a mutual respect for each other. That’s a high praise from her, trust me. But I’m friends with her sister.”

“Ah. Well, tell her that I said thank you. And that she doesn’t need to worry about hurting James. He would have hurt her if she wasn’t quicker.”

“Um. Okay, I will.”

“You meant Eliza?” she asked, after a while.

“Sorry, what?”

“When you said you were friends with her sister, have you meant Eliza?”

“No actually, I meant Peggy but… yeah, I’m friends with Eliza as well. Why?”

“Nothing. Saw her art display in the cafeteria. She’s really talented.”

“Yeah, yeah, her paintings are really good.” Jesus, that’s some guy-in-an-elevator level small talk, thought Alex. But it was too difficult to keep the conversation alive when all he wanted to ask her was _‘why the hell would you date James?’_

After what seemed like ages, they finally reached Maria’s dormitory.

“Well, here we are. Thank you again for walking me home, I know I wasn’t the most entertaining person but I’m just… it’s just a lot.” Maria smiled apologetically.

“Don’t worry about it. I mean… about the conversation. Obviously. I didn’t mean… you know. Because you should be worried about that. You should get one of those pepper sprays, or Tasers, or something like that. For protection.”

“I’m afraid I’m broke. James was… he borrowed some money from me. I had something saved from my summer job, but now I’ve got nothing.”

“Oh, I had no idea. That’s terrible. Here,” he opened his valet and handed her some money, “thirty dollars, I’m afraid that’s all I have at me at the moment.”

She hesitated for a while, but then she took it from his hand, too embarrassed to look into his eyes and smiled.

“Thank you, Alex.”

***

“No problem. Just… tell me if you needed something. I’m sure that I, or Angelica, or any of my friends would be happy to help you,” he promised, and then he walked away, back into the cold May night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I published as soon as I finished it! :'D It took me more time than I thought it would (sorry, everyone). It's a bit longer too- I wanted to end it half way, but then I decided the ending is really important for me, and I wouldn't like to cut it into chunks. 
> 
> The last sentence may seem redundant, and I would have normally ended it before the three stars, but I really wanted to emphasize that this is not Say No To This and I didn't want to leave it ambiguous I guess. 
> 
> Now I get this might be a controversial chapter, but for me, it's an important one. It may seem a bit pointless right now, but trust me, it's crucial for the subplot I'm planning for thus (because one plot just isn't enough, right? I guess I always have to be a bit ~extra~) I guess people that read the tags and stuff might probably suspect something already ^^
> 
> Next chapter's gonna reveal more about this and add focus more on the main plot, consider this a kind of... Maria's Interlude. 
> 
> And just a disclaimer, that this is obviously a work of fiction, and has pretty much nothing to do with the real Reynolds affair, which was just a really messy business- now, after more than 200 years, it's really hard to figure out the details, especially if so many lies and half-truths surround this whole scandal. I personally believe that both sides are to blame, and I get it's a bit unpopular opinion but... okay, I'm gonna stop my rant right here, I got a little carried away :'D 
> 
> So this scene has some similarities, mostly the names really, but it's in no way intended to make a comment about the real historical event. It's a bit more like how I would want Say No To This to go, if that makes sense :D


	5. Rumors Only Grow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Maria's Interlude, with all the Schuyler sisters in their prime. Lot of the events of the infamous previous night are explained, as Angelica and Peggy confront Alex about his behaviour. Eliza reveals an important piece of the puzzle.

Alex had one of his dreams again. He woke up, eyes wide open, temples pulsating, covered in cold sweat. It wasn’t one of the good ones- in this one he was on the battlefield, surrounded by what felt like a thousand people soldiers. The heat was unbearable, almost causing him to faint, and all he could hear were the sound of bullets flying above his head. He would have probably felt better if he hadn’t got any sleep at all.

Because of the strength of this horrifying experience, it took him some time to remember the events of the previous evening. He honestly didn’t know what would be worse- to have another nightmare like this one, or having to witness the fight between James and Maria again.

That morning, Peggy didn’t wait for him as she usually did, which was strange, because they had lessons in the same building, and their morning walks almost became a habit by this point. But today, she was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she’s ill, Alex thought. Or hangover from last night. He texted her, but he received no answer. That was odd- she usually replied within two minutes, that was one of her best characteristics. There must be something wrong.

He was really surprised when he saw her in the Café after the morning classes, drinking frappe and chatting with Angelica as if nothing happened. She didn’t even seem tired, let alone ill.

He decided to confront her straight away. “Where were you this morning? And haven’t you gotten my text message?”

She and Angelica exchanged knowing looks, and then, after a moment of unbearable silence, she finally decided to explain the situation.

“Look, Alex, you really screwed up last night. Your actions does have consequences, you know? You really hurt my sister.”

“I’m sorry, I was meant to see if you were okay, Angie, I just thought you may need some time alone…”

Angelica continued staring absently out of the Café’s window, thinking, as she had been ever since Alex approached them. Peggy just rolled her eyes. “Not her, dumbass, Eliza. You’ve hurt Eliza.”

Alex pulled his eyebrows together. He did not expect that at all. “Eliza? What could have I possibly done to Eliza, she wasn’t even at the party!”

“Peggy, I don’t think we should be angry with him. I mean… he couldn’t have possibly known.”

“Known what? What couldn’t I have known?” Alex was getting more and more confused. This day has been terribly exhausting so far, and it was only noon. He just needed some sleep- some _quality_ sleep.

“So what? He shouldn’t have…” Peggy paused, obviously to switch to a more safe-for-work word “…he shouldn’t have _spent the night_ with Maria anyway.”

“I didn’t… wait, what? What does it all have to do with Eliza?”

Both of the Schuyler sisters gave him one of their best ‘are-you-kidding-me-right-know’ looks, as if the answer was incredibly obvious. Which it wasn’t. At least not for Alex- certainly not today.

“Oh, she… does she still like me? I mean, things got really awkward after our breakup- for a while- but now I thought we could be friends again, I mean, just friends. I didn’t know…”

“My god, not everything revolves around you, okay?” Peggy snapped.

“Oh my god, Alex, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you. It’s just... I don’t want to pick sides. Don’t force me to choose between you and my sister. You’re my best friend, but in this case, you could never win.”

“I don’t force you to pick sides, I just want you to explain what’s going on. This is maddening. Why does everyone have to speak in riddles? He had nor the time, nor the energy for that today.

Finally, Angelica rushed to help Alex, unraveling the whole mystery by one simple sentence. “It’s Maria. Eliza’s in love with Maria. That’s why she was so heartbroken when she heard the rumors about you and her sleeping together. Are you telling me it’s not true?”

“Of course not, do you think I’m some kind of a monster? I couldn’t have known about the whole Eliza thing- frankly, how could I even see that one coming- but I would never take advantage of someone like that. Not after everything what she’d been through last night.”

“It’s just that lot of people saw you leaving together. I just thought- you have to admit, she is your type- I’m sorry, Alex, I shouldn’t have jumped into conclusions like that. It wasn’t fair.” Angelica paused for a second. “So, that means you didn’t know about the letter?”

“Who writes letters anymore?” snarled Peggy.

“What letter?” asked Hamilton, ignoring Peggy’s previous sarcastic remark.  “Wait… didn’t James scream something about a letter when she was fighting with Maria?”

Angelica nodded. “Eliza- she wrote Maria sort of a love letter. Very romantic, quite subtle- well, I don’t have to explain it to you, you and Eliza exchanged your fair share of letters when you two were dating, I’m sure you’re familiar with her writing style.”

“ _And like a southern wind, you came into my life…”_ Alex started declaiming.

“I remember that one,” Peggy giggled.

“She let you read it?”

“We all read your love letters, okay?” said Angelica. “Don’t act surprised.”

“That’s an invasion of privacy! So, anyway, what happened to the letter?”

“I’m not sure exactly, but Peggy and I suspect that James got a hold of it before she could even read it. In his jealousy, he interpreted it in a way that Maria has been cheating of him. I think that’s what last night was all about.”

“Poor Eliza, she must feel terrible. I have to see her, I have to explain it all to her.”

“I’m not sure if that’s the best idea, Alex,” said Angelica.

“You’re the last person she wants to see now.” Peggy, always staying blunt in every situation.

“I’ve got to go. I have to make this right.”

“Hey,” Angelica turned to him, “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know, I haven’t realized that and I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry, all is forgiven. I’m just glad you haven’t used the pepper spray on me,” he grinned.

***

Three distinctive knocks on Eliza’s door.

“Go away!” was the answer.

“Please, let me explain. Nothing happened between me and Maria last night, I promise. I just wanted to make sure she would get home safely.”

There was a sound of opening of what must have been at least three locks- then, the door slowly opened, just enough for Alex to squeeze in.

“I brought you some chocolate.” He awkwardly handed her a Belgian chocolate box that he was keeping for special occasions, most of the times for forgotten birthdays.

“Oh my god, Alex, where did you get that idea from? Advice column of Teen magazine?”

“I’m sorry, I…”

“I didn’t say put it away,” she snatched the chocolate box from his hands and put it on a shelf. “I think I need it.”

“Look, I didn’t know you had a thing for Maria. I didn’t want to make things awkward. But I swear, I didn’t…”

“I believe you. I believe that despite everything, deep down inside, you’re a good guy. Call me naïve, call me stupid, but that’s what I think.”

“Thank you. I needed to hear that. Today, I honestly felt like your sisters are going to murder me.”

“Really? Aw, that’s sweet of them.”

“Screw you,” Alex laughed. She laughed. The tension that was there when he entered seemed to have vanished and it felt just like old times again. Thank god for that.

“Do you think Maria got your letter? I mean- in the end?”

“I don’t think so, no. I don’t think I even want her to get it now.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Betsy. I need to explain the situation to her. That poor girl doesn’t even know why her boyfriend accused her of such horrible things.”

“But she will hate me. And she will be right to do so. I should have never send that stupid letter!”

“Hey. I’ll talk to her. I’ll explain the situation. Everything’s going to be alright, I promise. Just don’t ask me to go see her now, I really need to get some sleep.”

“That’s okay, Peggy already volunteered to brief her on that topic. You’ve brought chocolate- that’s more than enough.”

“That’s fair. To be honest, it was a pretty expensive chocolate.”

She rolled her eyes. “Hey, Alex, one more thing. I think I remember what inspired me to draw that picture. It was based on one of the photos that won the Yorktown’s Annual Photography Contest last year. That’s all I know.”

“Thanks. I guess I have a lot of googling ahead of me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hah, finally finished :D I did a lot of planning for chapters to come, but first, I felt like some sort of a debrief is neccessary, after all that happend at the party. And now, there is a more important 'mystery' to figure out...

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it, even though English isn't my first language, so I probably made quite a lot of mistakes. I know it's a cliché, I know it's a bit of a mess, but honestly, it was just so bloody fun to write! 
> 
> That being said, if you have any kind of constructive criticism for me, or if you spotted a grammatic mistake (which is more than possible), let me know, I'm glad for any kind of feedback ^^
> 
> If you enjoyed it, leave a Kudos (god, I love that word) and hopefully there will be a next chapter, with more characters, more dream sequences (which will tie into the plot, I promise) and, most importantly, more Lams!


End file.
